Thread control for weft replenishing looms



March 10; 1953 R. e. TURNER 2,630,842

THREAD CONTROL FOR WEF T REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed Dec. 11, 1951 2 sm'rs-smw 1 M FIG.I

INVENTOR RICHARD G. TURNER ATTORNEY March 10, 1953 TURNER 2,630,842

THREAD CONTROL FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed D60. 11, 1951 2 SI-IEETS-SHEET 2 D, |=|e.4 FIG.5 29

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- INVENTOR RICHARD G. TURNER ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE;

THREAD CONTROL FOR WEFT REPLENISHING' LOQMS Richard'G; Turner; Worcester,'Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works; Worcester, Mass.,- a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 11, 1951, Serial No.'260,974

11 Claimsr (Cl. 139-257) This invention 1 relates "toimprovements in thread control means for the -.thread of a trans:

ferred'bobbijn in an-automatic bobbinch'anging loom and it is the general object of theiinven tion to provide simple means controlled by the bobbin 'transferrenmechanism for locating. the thread and its thread holder in a rearward position favorable'for self-threading of a freshlymagazine containingreserve bobbinsthe weft ends of which areled. to' some form of thread holder. At thetime of a bobbin. change-the selected bobbini'is transferred into-the depleted shuttle'and the latter is then'picked to the op'. po'site' sideof theloomn The thread of :thenew bobbin in the shuttle. is held' by'the. holder to facilitate self-threading of the'cshuttle. Many looms employing bobbin .ch'anging mechanisms are equipped with a weft'stopmotion "having'a filling fork near the. center of the lay which must be supported "by theirweft, toi-pe'rmit continued loom operation: The thread holder should be in rearposition' to. favorself-threading of a freshlyreplenishedshuttlepbutthis psition is'unfa'vorable forimovement of the'threa'd under the" stop' "motion :foi'k. z

Heretofore I have proposed r means:.for .locat-' ing the thread holder to two'difierentpositions incident to a weft replenishing operationini the first'of which the thread holderiislocated rearwaroly and in the other. of which the threadholder is in forward position. Such mechanism, is shown for instance in my .prior Patent"No1. In that patent however the swing- 2,531,177. ing mounting for the thread holder. always has an operation whenever "the loom rindicates 'for a bobbin change even. though a misplaced shuttle cancels'the call for'replenishment by well-known revoker mechanism; ID'SHCh cases the-thread holder has an unnecessary anduseless'motion.

to use on looms. equipped withstationary maga zines, but is usable on. any loom'havingbobbin transferrer mechanism. 7

The thread holder control -mechanism, shown inJthe previously mentione'd'patent hasin. the. past been 'usedc-more particularly on looms. wherein the forcesfor moving the thread holderis derived from a two-pick cam located a con-1' siderable distance from the thread holder. The present invention relates more. particularly to thread holder .control mechanism which can-be.

operatedby-a one-pick cam located much nearer the thread holder'due to'the fact-that the opcrating cycle, being. initiated; by theatransferrer mechanism, begins relatively late in-the-replenishing. operation andcan be completedwithin one pick of the loom. By using this type-"of control it is possiblev to derive the. forces which effectmovement of the thread holder backwardly and forwardly from-the top or. crank: shaftwhich is' relativelyhigh in theloom; The invention, however, is not limited to use with a one-pick cam.

Itisa more particular objectof the present invention to secure -a cam to the top shaft of the m which completes a rotationeach pick of the loom and associate it with a rockable operator lever connected to the thread-holder and normally non-aligned with the'cambut. is swung into alignment with the cam by the bobbin transferrer mechanism so that the operator lever can be rocked for the purpose of giving 1 the thread holder its back. andforth movements.

In order that the invention may be -clearly understood reference-is made lto. the accom-e panying drawings-which illustrate by wayof ex ample the embodiments-"of: the inventioncpand in which:

Fig. '1 is a side elevation-of a loom showing a multistack stationary reserve bobbin magazine and having -a movable-thread holdercontrolled by mechanism-forming the subject. matter of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view looking'imthe direction of arrow 2, Fig.1,- partly in section,

Fig. 3 is an" enlarged detailed 'section on line 3--3; Fig. 2, showing part of the mechanism'in two different positions, 1

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged verticaLsections on lines 4-4 and 5--5-, respectively, Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is an-enlarged-plan'view partly in sec-.- tion looking in the direction of. arrow B," Fig.- 1, showing part of thecontrollerbetween the trans? ferrer mechanism. and the operator lever for-the thread holder,

Fig. '7 is anenlargedplan view partly in section looking in the direction of arrow 1. Fig. 1, showing the pivotal mounting for the thread holder,

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the parts in normal position,

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing the parts in the position which they occupy after the swinging operation of the thread holder has been initiated,

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showin the manner in which the actuator cam and operator lever effect movement of the thread holder.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic plan view indicating the lay in full lines in the position which it occupies at the time of picking of the replenished shuttle and in dotted lines in the position which it occupies after the shuttle has passed the fork of the center filling stop motion, and

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the cam used as an actuator for moving the operator lever.

Referring to Fig. l, the loom. frame I supports a stationary reserve bobbin magazine M which in the present instance is provided with four stacks of vertically arranged reserve bobbins indicated generally at 2. The reserve bobbins have extending from them threads or weft ends 3 leading to a thread holder H shown here as being of the geared type employing gears 4 and 5 which turn in opposite directions to draw the weft ends away from the magazine. The thread holder H is fastened to a lever 6 the upper end of which has a hub i, see Fig. '7, which in the present instance is rockable on one of the tie rods 8 forming part of the magazine M. Collars 9 on the tie rod limit the position of the hub I along the tie rod.

The loom is provided with a lay ll! having a shuttle box II for receiving any one of several self-threading shuttles one of which is shown at S. The usual picking mechanism (not shown) may be employed for picking the shuttle out of the shuttle box H, the picking operation ordinarily occurring when the lay is moving backwardly and is near or at its top center position. The lay is reciprocated by connectors one of which is shown at 15 operated by the top or crank shaft 16 which has a rotation once for each pick or beat of the loom, and during a rotation thereof causes the lay to pass from front center through top, back and bottom centers and return to front center to complete a one-pick cycle.

The lay is provided with a bunter H for operation of a bobbin transferrer mechanism designated generally at A. This mechanism includes a latch I8 pivoted to a transferrer arm 19 which is normally in raised position as shown in Fig. 1.

At the time of a bobbin changing operation the latch I8 is raised by well-known mechanism (not shown) into the path of the hunter H, and as the lay moves forwardly, to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, and approaches front center after having passed bottom center, the bunter engages the latch and rocks the transferrer arm I9 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 for the purpose of transferring a reserve bobbin from the magazine into the shuttle. When the lay reaches its extreme front center position the transferrer arm is in its lowest position and transfer of the bobbin is completed. As the lay moves rearwardly the transferrer arm rises in usual manner and returns to its normal raised position.

The lay I0 is provided in the present instance with a center filling stop motion designated generally at 20 and having a filling fork 2| the tines of which point rearward or to the right as viewed in Fig. 11. The center filling stop motion Oper ates in usual manner and if weft is not under the fork the latter is unsupported as the lay moves forwardly and falls to a low position with resultant loom stoppage. The center fork operates each pick of the loom and in order to permit continued loom operation it must be supported by weft during a part of each forward motion of the lay.

Except for the pivotal mounting for the thread holder lever 6 the matter thus far described is of usual construction and operates in the usual manner. In the past the thread holder has notibeen mounted for back and forth motion in looms equipped with stationary reserve bobbin magazines. It is to be understood that the gear-ed thread holder is shown herein for illustrative purposes and is only one of several types of thread holders which can be employed to hold the weft ends 3 leading from the reserve bobbins.

In carrying the present invention into effect a stud is secured to a stand 26 fastened to the loom frame and has rockably mounted thereon an operator lever designated generally at 23. Lever 21 has a hub 28 pivoted on stud 25, an upstanding arm 29 connected preferably by a flexible cable 38' to the arm 6 at a point 3! thereof, and a substantially horizontal resilient arm 32. The forward or left end of arm 32 as viewed in Fig. 1D has mounted thereon a roll 35 having a peripheral groove 36 between flanges 31, see Fig. 3. Arm 32 is normally disposed as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, but because of its resilience is capable of movement to the dotted line position.

A support 40 secured at 4| to the stud 25 has a controller lever 42 pivoted thereon at d3. A tension spring 44 connected to a lug :25 on support 46 and to lever 42 tends normally to hold the latter in the full line position shown in Fig. 2. Extending upwardly from the lever and rigid therewith is a positioning pin 46, see Figs. 2 and 4, which is closelv adjacent to the resilient arm 32.

The free end of lever 42 is connected to a cable C which is trained around guide sheaves 41, 48, 49, and 5| and is then connected at 52 to the transferrer arm IS. The sheaves 67 and 48 are rotatable on small stands and 55, respectively, see Figs. 2 and 6, secured to the loom frame and turn in horizontal planes. sheave 49 is rotatable on a stud 51 secured to a stand 53 fastened as at 59 to a part of the loom frame, see Fig. 6. The magazine M is provided with back and front arms 60 and GI, respectively. on which are rotatably mounted, respectively, the sheaves 50 and 5|. The latter sheaves and also sheave 49 are rotatable preferably in vertical planes.

An actuator for operator lever 21 is shown here as a rotary cam having a hub 66. This cam, see Fig. 12, has a low area 61 connected by an incline 68 to a high area 69 and the latter is connected by a decline '10 to the low area 67. The cam is keyed to the shaft l6 at H in such position that the incline 58 will preferably be close to but not quite in lateral register with the roll 35 when the transferrer arm begins its downward motion on a weft replenishing beat of the loom.

In operation, a weft replenishing operation will begin as the lay approaches its front center position on a beat of the loom when depleted shuttle S is at the magazine end of the loom. Under these conditions the transferrer arm 18 will be rocked as already described and in moving downwardly will exert a tension on the cable C the effect of which is to rock controller lever 42 from the'positionshownin to the full line posi tion shown infFigf9; thereby causing the posi' tioning pin. 46 .to move the resilient lever arm heldin alignment with the cam due to the flanges 31 as the transferrer arm returns to its normal raised position.

As the roll is lifted by the incline S8 lever 21 is rocked from the full line to the dotted line position, Fig. 10, and acts throughits arm 29 and connector .30 tomove the thread holder H rearwardly from the full line to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 10. The cam is so designed that it will cause the holder H to occupy the rear dotted line position shown in Fig. at about. the time the shuttle is picked, or when the lay is at or near its top center position represented-in full lines, Fig. 11, to hold the weft end W of the transferred bobbin B in a position favorable for self-threading of the shuttle. The shuttle willthen be picked to the opposite side of the loom and will. pass the fork 2i, and preferably at some time priorto completion of the shuttle .flight the decline. 10 will arrive under the roll. 35 and the latter will be pulled down by a return. tension spring '15 one end of which is connected at .76 to the. arm 6 and the other end of which is connected to a stationary part 17 of the magazine,-see Fig. '7. When the low area 61 of the cam arrives under the roll 35 the latter will beable due to the resilience of arm 32 to move laterally out of alignment with the cam back to its normal full line position shown for instance in Fig.2. A stop pin 8t, see Figs. 2 and 10, fixed on stand 26 engages a finger iii of lever 21 to hold the roll 35 at a proper elevation above the low area 6'! to enable the roll to clear the cam.

Movement of the 'roll 35 down the decline 10 will be accompanied by forward movement of the thread holder by return spring '55 so that the thread from the shuttle will occupy the position Wi shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11 and will pass under the fork 2!. At this time the lay Ill may be in a rearward position as indicated It is desirable that the means connected'to the: bobbin transferrer mechanism which includes latch it? and arm 49. More generally, all of these parts as well asthe return spring '15 may be considered to be operat= ing mechanism for the thread holder normally ineffectiveto move'the-thread-holder but caused to -ioperateas -clescribed-'theitransferrenmecha The transferrer arm I?! will ordinarily startits bobbin transferring operation at a time: when the lay is between 'its' bottom' and front center positions; and the roll 35' will'clear itself from the cam when" the low areaxG'I arriVes under it while the layis approximately. on its next bottom "center position, henceth'e wholeoperation occurs in less than-one complete rotation of. the sl1"aft lli,' and it-is for thisreason1that a one Dickcam can' be used when control is derived from the transferrer: mechanism:

As'i'the transferrer armj' starts-to rise' after a' bobbin changing operation as the lay... moves" rearwardly spring li will contract to keep cable,

C-taut and engaged with its-sheaves 47 -54. At this 'time one of the-flanges 31 of the rollxwill be engaged with'the camto hold the roll aligned with the latter despite movement of 'pin 46 away from arm' 32 as spring 44 moves arm 52 from the full line to the dotted line position;Fig. 9.

From the foregoing it will'be seen that the invention sets forth simplemeans whereby the bobbin transferrer mechanism of a loom is utilized to control operatingmechanism'which when 'in' operative "to move the thread holder to move the thread. It'will also be seenthat initiation of the operation, being 'effected-- by'the bobbin' transferrer mechanism, permits theuse of a cam which rotates-once-foreachbeat or=pick"of the loom,

this being possible because of'thefact' that less than one pick elapses" between engagement of the bunter ll with the latch 'lfiand arrival of the lay at or about its next'bottomcenter position whenthe roll 35 clears itself-with respect to the cam? Also, the controller including lever 32 is mounted to move independentlyof the lever arm 32' and can be movedback to-itsnormal position by spring 44 to keep the cable C taut and engaged with its sheaves- 47 -5 l as the transfer arm rises.-

Having now particularly-described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same 'is to be performedfwhat' is claimed is:

1." In thread control means for a 'weft 'replenishing loom having a lay provided witha center filling stop motion fork and a"-self-threading shuttle for replenishment by a reserve bobbin from which" a 'thread=extends',-a thread holder to which the thread is attached mounted to be 10- cated either in front or rear position in the loom, operating mechanism for the thread holder capablewhen operatingto effect movement of the latter to the rear positionthereof to facilitate self-threading of the-shuttle when the latter is picked subsequent to replenishment by the bobbin and-thereafter effecting movement of the thread holder to locate the latter-in forward position to move" the thread under the" filling fork," said operating-mechanism normally being inoperative andineffctive to cause=said movements of the thread holder, and bobbin transferrer mechanism including a part moved by a-for'ce" derived from the'lay on a beat of the Ioom onlywhen a bobbin is transferred effective on a weft replenishing beat of 'the loom to"transfersaid -bobbin into-said 7 shuttle and also cause operation of said operating mechanism to effect said movements of the thread holder.

2. In thread control means for a weft replen ishing loom having a lay reciprocated by a shaft which rotates once each beat of the loom and provided with a center filling stop motion fork, the loom having a self-threading shuttle to be replenished by a reserve bobbin from which a thread extends, a thread holder to which the thread is attached mounted to be located either in front or rear position in the loom, operating mechanism for the thread holder including a rotary cam secured to said shaft normally inoperative to move said thread holder but effective when operating to move the thread holder to rear position to facilitate threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked subsequent to replenishment by said bobbin and thereafter effective to locate the thread holder in forward position to facilitate movement of the thread under said filling fork, and a. bobbin transferrer arm normally at rest but having an operative movement derived from the lay on a weft replenishing beat of the loom only when a bobbin is transferred and effective when having said operative movement to transfer said bobbin into said shuttle and also cause operation of said operating mechanism by said cam.

3. In thread control means for a weft replenishing loom having a lay provided with a center filling stop motion fork and a shuttle for replenishment by a reserve bobbin from which a thread extends, a thread holder to which the thread is attached mounted to be located alternately in front and rear positions in the loom, a bobbin transferrer arm which is given a bobbin transferring movement by the lay on a replenishing beat of the loom only to insert the reserve bobbin into the shuttle, an actuator moving during loom operation, and operator means connected to the thread holder normally disengaged from the actuator but movable into position for engagement by the actuator and when engaged by the latter being caused thereby to effect location of the thread holder and said thread in rear position to facilitate threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked subsequent to insertion of the reserve bobbin into the shuttle and thereafter effect location of the thread holder in the front position thereof to move the thread forwardly under the center filling fork, said bobbin transferrer arm when having said movement derived from the lay to effect insertion of the reserve bobbin into the shuttle also effecting movement of the operator means into position for engagement by the actuator.

e. The thread control means set forth in claim 3 wherein said operator means includes a lever having an arm movable into and out of alignment with the actuator.

5. In thread control means for a weft replenishing loom having a lay provided with a center filling stop motion fork and a shuttle for replenishment by a reserve bobbin from which a thread extends, a thread holder to which the thread is attached mounted to be located either in front or rear positions in the loom, means causing the thread holder to have a tendency to be in front position, an actuator moving during loom operation, bobbin transferrer mechanism having a part which is given a bobbin transferring movement by the lay on a replenishing beat only of the loom to insert the reserve bobbin into the shuttle to effect replenishment of the latter, operator means connected to the thread holder normally disengaged from the actuator but movable into position for engagement by the actuator and when engaged by the actuator being caused by the latter to locate the thread holder in rear position to facilitate threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked subsequent to replenishment thereof and thereafter enabling the thread holder due to said tendency thereof to return to the front position thereof to move the thread forwardly under the center filling fork, said part of the bobbin transferrer mechanism when having said bobbin transferring movement being effective to move the operator into position for engagement with the actuator.

6. In thread control means for a weft replenishing loom having a lay provided with a center filling stop motion and a shuttle for replenishment by a reserve bobbin from which a thread extends, a thread holder for the thread mounted to be located either in front or rear position in the loom, an actuator moving during loom operation, bobbin transferrer mechanism having a part which is given a movement by the lay on a replenishing beat of the loom only to insert the reserve bobbin into the shuttle, operator means connected to the thread holder normally disengaged from the actuator but movable into position for engagement by the actuator and when engaged by the actuator being caused by the latter to locate the thread holder in rear position to facilitate threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked subsequent to insertion of the reserve bobbin thereinto by the transferrer mechanism, and return means eifective thereafter to locate the thread holder in front position to move the thread under the center filling fork, said part of the transferrer mechanism being effective when inserting the reserve bobbin into the shuttle to effect movement of said operator means into position for engagement by the actuator.

7. In thread control means for a loom having a lay provided with a center filling stop motion and a shuttle for replenishment by a reserve bobbin from which a thread extends, a thread holder for the thread mounted to be located either in front or rear position in the loom and having a tendency to occupy the front position thereof, an actuator cam having high and low areas rotating during loom operation, operator means connected to the thread holder normally out of alignment with the actuator cam but movable over the low area of the cam into alignment with the latter at a given time in the forward motion of the lay for engagement by the cam and when engaged by the cam being given a movement by said high area to locate the thread holder in rear position to facilitate threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked subsequent to replenishment by the reserve bobbin, said operator means thereafter due to said tendency and in cooperation with said actuator cam effecting movement of the thread holder to the front position thereof to move the thread forwardly under the center filling fork, and bobbin transferrer mechanism effective to transfer the reserve bobbin into the shuttle and also eifective at said given time to move said operator means over said low area into alignment with the cam.

8. The thread control means set forth in claim '7 wherein said operator means includes a lever having a resilient arm normally out of alignment with the actuator but capable of being bent by a force derived from the transferrer mechanism to move into alignment with the actuator cam, the arm due to the resilience thereof returning to normal position when said low area due to turning of the cam comes under the operator means.

9. In a loom having a center filling fork on a lay provided with a shuttle to be replenished by a reverse bobbin from which a thread extends and having a shaft which moves the lay rearwardly from front center position through top center position to back center position and then moves the lay forwardly through bottom center position to front center position to complete a one-pick cycle of the loom, bobbin transferrer mechanism which on a weft replenishing beat of the loom has an operative movement at a given time in said one-pick cycle of the loom to insert the bobbin into a shuttle as the lay moves forwardly from back center position to front center position, a thread holder for the thread mounted to move backwardly from the normal forward position thereof and tending to return forwardly to the normal position thereof, an actuator cam secured to and rotating with the shaft, operating means connected to the thread holder normally out of alignment with the cam but movable into alignment therewith for engagement thereby and when engaged by the cam being caused by the latter to move the thread holder rearwardly as the lay moves rearwardly from the front center position thereof to position the thread favorably for self-threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked during rearward motion of the lay subsequent to replenishment thereof by the bobbin and said operator means thereafter cooperating with the actuator cam to effect forward motion of the thread holder to the normal position thereof before a time in the next one-pick cycle corresponding to said given time to facilitate movement of the thread under the filling fork, and means operated by the transferrer mechanism when the latter has said operative movement to move the operator means into alignment with the actuator cam during said given time.

10. In thread control means for a loom having a back and forth reciprocating lay provided with a center filling stop motion fork and a reserve bobbin from which a thread extends and wherein a shuttle is picked during rearward motion of the lay, a thread holder connected to the thread, the thread holder having a tendency to be in forward position but mounted to be movable to a rear position, an actuator moving regularly in one-pick cycles during operation of the loom, an operator connected to the thread holder normally out of operative position relative to the actuator, bobbin transferrer mechanism having a bobbin transferring movement from the normal position thereof on a weft replenishing beat of the loom to insert the bobbin into the shuttle to replenish the latter during a time in one one-pick cycle of the actuator beginning as the lay approaches its front position and ending when the lay reaches its front position, the transferrer mechanism returning to the normal position thereof during said rearward motion of the lay, and a controller connecting the operator and bobbin transferrer mechanism effective when the latter has said transferring movement to move the operator into operative position relative to the actuator, the actuator thereupon engaging the operator prior to return of the transferrer mechanism to the normal position thereof and effecting location of the thread holder in rearward position to facilitate threading of the shuttle when the latter is picked and the operator and actuator thereafter enabling the thread holder due to said tendency thereof to effect location of the thread holder forwardly prior to a time in the next one-pick cycle of the actuator corresponding to said given time in said one one-pick cycle to move the thread of the replenished shuttle forwardly under the filling stop motion fork.

11. 'Ifhe thread control means set forth in claim 10 wherein said actuator includes a 1'0- tating cam and said operator includes a grooved roll which remains engaged with the cam subsequent to return of the transferrer mechanism to the normal position thereof.

RICHARD G. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,293,030 Carter Feb. 4, 1919 2,531,177 Turner Nov. 21, 1950 

